Francis Bitonti is a New York designer that created a range of 3D printed gold plated shoes for Dutch footwear brand United Nude.

The 3D-printed heels were shaped using algorithms. Mutatio shoes combine traditional leather uppers with latticed platform heels, which were made from nylon using a selective laser sinter (SLS) machine and then plated with gold.

Each pair of heels features a slightly different mesh pattern, generated by tweaking a computer algorithm that controls the form of a digital model.

Changing the inputs to the model within an application created by Bitonti’s studio, the designer was able to produce bespoke shapes that could be built up on a 3D printer. The shoes were made by 3D-printing company 3D Systems. The artist said: “It’s not so much about making something customisable,”.

“I was introduced to Francis Bitonti not so long ago and immediately offered him our support for this project,” says United Nude founder. “I liked his idea to create computer-scripted designs to be uniquely SLS printed in a nylon and then to be gold plated for achieving highly finished luxury products.”

Each base is paired with a textured black leather upper, which covers the entire foot and features a zip up the heel to make it easier to get on and off. Rather than printing the heels entirely from metal, the plating allows the shoes to remain lightweight and therefore easier to walk in, according to Koolhaas.